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Happy New Year, NCC!

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Right Out of Your Hands

This was the second book I read after I decided to give fiction another chance. It's not that I dislike fiction, it's that I grew bored with it.


This book, The Monsters of Templeton,

starts with a college girl who runs back home to mommy when she, college girl, finds herself pregnant.

As college girl arrives home, a huge monster is found dead in the town's lake.

That's one monster. The other Monster implied in the title is that this girl has been lied to by her mother. White lies. It turns out that college girl's father lives in town. Her mother refuses to tell her who said father is, making college girl use her archeological research skills to find this man.

Templeton, the fictional town in which college girl resides, holds secrets. Secrets held in plain sight at the town's library. Eh. College girl visits the library often. Using clues given by her mother, college girl is intent on finding the identity of her father. Blah, blah, blah.

In order to reach the end of this book, you must read the journal entries and personal letters of long-dead fictional characters. Everything pieces itself together nicely. Assuming you are into that kind of thing.

I wish there were more monsters. Monsters living in the lake, taking tourist swimmers under at noon on Sundays. Monsters climbing out from under coffee huts, spraying folks with scalding coffee like mucus which later turns to fatal eye cancer. Monsters forming in the residents intestines after consuming baloney mayonnaise sandwiches with diet cola. These intestinal monsters would then burst from the esophagus of their victims and...

I don't know. I just wanted more monsters.

I finished this book feeling very disappointed. Disappointed in myself. I should have given up when I first felt the need to.



Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Voice; Reprint edition (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 140134092X
ISBN-13: 978-1401340926
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 ounces

The Ring and Spiral - Koji Suzuki

I remember seeing the movie in the theater. Slightly creeped by the girl with the long hair in her face. Of course, the novel is different than the movie. As I was beginning this book, I was contemplating the fact that it is part of a trilogy. Do I really want to spend my time reading extensions of what I have already finished? Turns out I do. Well, I did. I am not so sure of the third book in the trilogy. I don't have it yet. The first two, Ring and Spiral were interesting enough to keep me going. Not once did I throw either book at the wall in anger. Much different than the movies. Thinking about it now, after reading the books, the movies sucked. Both Ring and Ringu. Evolution is the key. I was reminded of the intellectual madness that can come with Tuberculosis.

I read these books in the comfort of my own home. Under comforters filled with down. Warm and slightly nervous. More than once, I made sure that no part of myself was over the edge of the bed. These books seem to have brought back a child like fear. Reminding myself of nights of terror where I would curl into the fetal position with my quilts covering every inch of my tiny body. Forming a hole in the blankets so I could still breathe the cool air. These books made me do that again.

The Ring
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Vertical (April 25, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932234411
ISBN-13: 978-1932234411
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces

Spiral
Paperback: 283 pages
Publisher: Vertical (August 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932234160
ISBN-13: 978-1932234169
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds

boring boring boring boring boring boring boring

The secret of life is that there is none. Epidemic. pandemic. This book review is pointless. The title depresses me. Immunity does not exist, all I have gotten is nowhere. I am embarrassed there is no spelling left. Every time I realize I have figured the meaning of life I die. But that is not the meaning of life, so there is none. The title is self-aware. I am losing. I know this. The pen I do not own has won. 14 dollars has won. I will never be able to read this. I hate this book. The author knows this. He wrote it for those like me, and that is why I am certain I will not finish it. Inspiration or not, that is what it is. I never want to turn a page again. Disgusted. Is the meaning of life turning pages?

http://www.zachplague.com/
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Featherproof Books (July 28, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0977199258
ISBN-13: 978-0977199259
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces

X, the Anonymous Man or Woman

Go Here



Or here

Or just press Play



Thank You

Man reads entire Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary is not everyone's idea of a page turner.
But a man has just completed the mammoth, if not bizarre, task of reading the 22,000-page tome cover to cover.

Ammon Shea, 37, who has been dissecting dictionaries since the age of 10, spent a year absorbing 59 million words, from A to Zyxt - the equivalent of reading a John Grisham novel every day.

Cooped up in the basement of his local library, the removal man from New York would devote up to 10 hours a day painstakingly making his way through all 20 volumes of the OED - helped by cup after cup of very strong coffee.

Every time he came across an interesting word, he jotted it down, fearful that he would not remember its meaning.

Among his favourite discoveries were obmutescence (willfully quiet), hypergelast (a person who won't stop laughing), natiform (shaped like buttocks) and deipnosophist (a person who is learned in the art of dining.)

He admitted there were times when he almost gave up, frustrated at not being familiar with any of the words on the page.

In his new book, Reading the Oxford English Dictionary: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, he recalls a low point when he started learning words beginning with the letter N.

"Some days I feel as if I do not actually speak the English language, or understand it with any degree of real comprehension," he said.

"It is as if I am visiting a foreign country, armed with one of those silly little tourist phrase book...I may know enough to order a cup of coffee or inquire where the bathroom is."

By the time he reached the 400 pages devoted to words beginning with "un", he said he was "near catatonic, bored out of my mind, and so listless I can't remember why I wanted to read any of this in the first place.

"At this point, telling myself, 'You only have 351 pages of un-words to go', does not seem helpful. I don't quite feel as though I have lost my mind, but it often seems as though it is on vacation somewhere else, just east of sanity."

Why anyone would choose to put themselves through such a task is a question Mr Shea is often asked.

As a self-confessed lover of words who owns a thousand dictionaries, he said that reading the entire OED was a challenge he set himself many years ago.

"The OED, more so than any other dictionary, encompasses the entire history of all English's glories and foibles, the grand concepts and whimsical conceits that make our language what it is today," he said.

"It's a great read. It is much more engrossing, enjoyable and moving to read than you would typically think a non-narrative body of text could ever possibly be."

Nicole Martin. "Man reads entire Oxford English Dictionary". [Online] 03 October 2008. link.

For only $895.00 you too can attempt this feat. Come into, or call, the college store and ask for Sarah. I will gladly order a set for you!

Family Recipes! CONTEST!

Fall is so close. The summer cooling swiftly. The Minnesota State Fair has arrived, gently reminding you to bulk up for warmth. Fall is the perfect time to learn new recipes. At least, I feel it is. The kitchen is cool. You can keep the windows open, scents seem to mean more when they travel outside. The neighbors will be jealous.



Compiled by four sisters and based on their recollections of their childhood in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe captures the glow of memories formed while growing up in a midwestern kitchen. From Lemon Meringue Pie to Tomato Soup Cake, from Mom's Chicken Pie to Grandma Noffke's Sliced Cucumber Pickles, this charming book features hundreds of recipes (some classic, some quirky), plus dozens of food—and cooking-related anecdotes, memories, humorous asides, and period photos that transport readers back to Mom's or Grandma's kitchen, circa 1950. The Sanvidges share a legacy of beloved dishes and food memories that resonate not just for their family, but for readers everywhere who grew up in a small midwestern town—or wish they had. Nostalgic, funny, and warmhearted, Apple Betty & Sloppy Joe celebrates the ways food and food memories link us to our past, and to each other. A delightful gift for food lovers of any generation.

What I am giving away this time around is 1 (one) copy of Apple Betty and Sloppy Joe. This cookbook/family memoir is a fantastic read. You don't need to make the food, but you will find something you really want to.

Recipes come and go. The good ones tend to stay around, even if they remain unwritten. Did your grandmother teach you how to make cabbage rolls? Has your mother shown you how to clarify butter? Maybe Dad revealed to you the secrets of his grilled cheese greatness. Share a family food memory here. Since I am not one to judge the memories of others, a winner will be chosen at random.

We have a Wiener!

Contest #1 has offically come to a close. I had a grand total of two entries. It was hard to choose but, choose I did.
The winner is Annabelle.

Thank you, Annabelle. You will receive your prize very shortly.

As for the next contest...

Contest #1

Okay...

I receive review copies of books on a regular basis. I hope to feature a weekly contest so I may be rid of some of these books. As it is, my house has wall to wall insulation provided by years of book collection. Today will be the start of the first contest.

What I am attempting to give away is 1 copy of the Visual Novel,Mr. Fooster Traveling on a Whim. Written by Tom Corwin and Illustrated by Craig Frazier.



Mr. Fooster seems like your average fellow, albeit one who travels with an old bottle of bubble soap. One Tuesday morning, however, he takes us into a rich and vivid world unlike any we've seen before. As he heads out the door, Mr. Fooster's boundless curiosity leads him to reflect on questions such as: How do mandarin oranges come in perfect little segments without any mechanical engineering? How come we never see beby pigeons? and Who figured out how to eat artichokes? Mr. Fooster shows us that pondering the little things in life can be a reward unto itself.

So, the question is:

What do you often find yourself thinking about while walking alone?

All comments to this post are screened. Please reply with your answer and a mailing address. I will edit out the mailing addresses before allowing comments. The winner will have the most imponderable or thought provoking answer.

Thank you.

Technology Update Part Deux

I became so excited by the arrival of Skullcandy goodness, I forgot to mention the MP3 players we got in.


Clip it to your belt, hat, backpack whatever you like to clip things to. Available at the NCC store in the 1GB size.


Personally, I like this one. An integrated USB plug saves me from losing cords. ID3 tag support is nice too. We have it in 1, 2 and 4GB.


The above, Haier Ibiza Rhapsody, comes with a 30 day free trial of Rhapsody. This is meaningful because the player connects to Wifi networks. Therefore, you can stream videos and music to your player while in class! MULTI-TASKING!! At the NCC Store in 30GB size.

Technology Update

In preparation for the Fall Semester, we are updating our electronics and technology accessories. Pallets and pallets of new items are arriving daily. We have decided to expand the amount of Skullcandy we carry.









And, yes... that watch is an MP3 player with equalizer presets.

I like kittens. Some times I like to dip them in barbeque sauce and tease the chickens that wander my yard at night. Night chickens are the best kind. They don't argue.